Liquid discharge



March 1963 J. o. HRUBY, JR 3,082,961

LIQUID DISCHARGE Filed Jan. 16, 1962 dbl/N 0. (1k- /77 TOP/V225).

,ZINVENTOR,

3,fi32,961 LIQUZD ElSCi-KARGE Iohn 0. Hruhy, 5n, Eur-bank, Caiii,assignor to Rain 5st Corporation, Burbank, Ialif a corporation ofCalifornia Filed flan. 16, 1962, S-er. No. 166,658 8 Claims. (Qt.239-558) This invention relates generally to the art of dischargingliquids in a spray of discrete droplets.

Devices of this invention are usable for various purposes. They may bemade to a relatively large size for quickly flushing an area, and theymay be made relatively small as for lawn sprinkling purposes. Whateverthe size, a device of this invention provides a diffused spray ofdiscrete liquid drops. It is contemplated further that devices embodyingthis invention may be employed as nozzles in air cooling systems, forexample.

Devices of this invention have no moving parts. They are simple inconstruction. It is in the action of the liquid being discharged thatthe devices of this invention are unusual. In an embodiment having anoutlet opening extending in a horizontal plane, for example, it will beobserved that the liquid being discharged flutters up and down with theresult that both the periphery of the area being sprayed and the regionsimmediately adjacent the device are covered evenly by the spray, and thespray is constituted of large or small drops depending upon the relativedimensions of the parts of the device.

Briefly, a device of this invention comprises a body having a chamberwith an inlet opening in one end and an outlet opening in a side wallbetween the ends of the body, the inlet opening being eccentric of thechamber, and, preferably, the inlet and outlet openings being sodisposed that their centers are in a common axial plane of the chamber.I surmise that the flutter of the liquid being discharged is the resultof what may be a condition of reverberation of liquid in the chamberfrom the end opposite the inlet opening, and I suggest that the motionof liquid in the chamber may correspond to that of air in an organ pipeand in a whistle.

In the following part of this specification, the details of constructionand mode of operation of a device embodying this invention and designedto provide a V- luminous spray are described with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device mounted atop a liquid supplypipe;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on a larger scale through thedevice taken upon a plane indicated by line 22 on FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sections taken along lines 33 and M4respectively, on FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the upper half of the device as viewedfrom the right in FIG. 2.

The illustrated device is designated generally by reference numeral 10.It is shown as mounted atop a vertically extending water supply pipe 12as with an internally threaded nipple 13 which receives the lower end ofthe device, the external screw threads on the device for coupling to thepipe being designated by numeral 15.

The device is a hollow body, which in the illustrated embodiment isformed of a cylindrical tube 17, here of circular cross section, anupper end wall 18 and a lower end wall 19. The tube 17 is the side wallof the device, its inside surface 21 and the inside surfaces 22 and 23of the upper and lower end walls 18 and 19 respectively defining achamber 25 which in the illustrated embodiment is a right cylinder ofcircular cross section with its longitudinal axis extending vertically.Such vertical arrangement illustrates the manner in which the devicefldzfihl Patented Mar. 26, 1963 fine may be installed for use as a lawnsprinkler, for example.

The illustrated device 10 is formed of hard plastics, the end walls 18and 19 being fitted frictionally tight within the cylindrical tube,their relative spacing with respect to the outlet opening 27, presentlyto be described, affecting the extent and frequency of the flutter inthe water spray. In the device 10, the space between the outlet opening27 and the inside surface 22 of the upper end wall is about one-sixth ofthat between the outlet opening and the inside surface 23 of the lowerend wall.

The outlet opening 27 is formed in the side Wall 17 and in .theillustrated embodiment extends circumferentially about 220 of the sidewall as appears best in FIG. 3, and .its medial plane is normal to thelongitudinal axis of the chamber 25. The surfaces defining such outletopening 27 are an upper lip surface 29, lower lip surface 3%, and twoconcave end surfaces 31 and 32. Lip surfaces 29 and 3d are substantiallyparallel to each other and are inclined slightly upwardly from an insideedge 33 in the case of upper lip 29 to its outside edge 34.

The inlet opening of the device 10 is formed in the lower end wall 1 9and is designated by reference numeral 36. It is eccentric of thelongitudinal axis of the chamber 25. In the illustrated instance, theinlet opening 35 is substantially square, extending through theperiphery of the lower end wall .19 whereby the inside surface of thecylindrical tube 17 defines one side of the inlet opening. Also, thecenter of the inlet opening and the mid-point of the outlet opening 27are in a common axial plane of the chamber. The inlet opening is smallerin size than the outlet opening, here being about one-fifth the size ofthe outlet opening.

In operation, liquid passes from the supply pipe 12 through the inletopening 36 and is discharged through the outlet opening 27. The spray ofliquid from the device appears to vibrate or swing up and down, and thedischarge is broken up into discrete droplets.

With the view to presenting a complete description of the specificembodiment shown in the drawing, the relative sizes and spacing of itsparts have been set forth above; however, such detailed description,with nothing more, fails to explain enough for a comprehensiveunderstanding of the invention. The illustrated device is especiallywell suited for discharging water at a relatively high rate in terms ofvolume per unit of time. Though the pressure of water in the supply pipe12 is a factor determining the distance to which the spray will reach,break-up of water and up and down fluttering of the spray are notaffected to any practical extent by variations in pressure. Up and downflutter of the spray is strikingly noticeable in the case of a devicehaving a relatively wide outlet opening. In the case of a slit-likeoutlet opening which is relatively narrow with respect to the thicknessof the side wall 17, the lip surfaces 29: and 30, if parallel to eachother and not divergent outwardly from each other, tend to confine andstraighten out the stream of liquid being discharged and thus neutralizeor reduce the extent of flutter of the spray. A practical specific forappreciable flutter is that the greatest dimension of the outlet openingtaken in a direction axially of the chamber 25 be at least as great asthe thickness of the side wall 17. As to the circumferential extent ofthe outlet opening, this is a matter only of what width is desired forthe spray, an opening of extent circumferentially of the chamberproducing a quadrant spray pattern, and one of 180, for example,producing a semi-circular spray pattern.

As to the relative sizes of the inlet and outlet open ings the outletopening should be larger than the inlet opening and preferably at leasttwice the size of the inlet opening. Whether the inlet opening be squareor otherwise has no apparent effect on the action of the spray.

The discharge opening 27 need not extend generally in a plane normal. tothe longitudinal axis of the chamber as in the illustrated embodimentbut may be upwardly or downwardly inclined, in which cases the matter ofinclining the lip surfaces 29 and 39, as for example upwardly in theillustrated case to effect upward bias to the spray, is ofinapprecia-ble consequence. I have found that if the lower end wall 23is rotated slightly on the longitudinal axis of the chamber 25 such thatthe inlet opening 36 is out of longitudinal alignment with the outletopening 27, then the spray becomes canted. In the case where the devicehas its discharge opening 27 extending generally in a plane normal tothe longitudinal axis of the chamber, and disregarding the eifect of anyinclination for beveling of the lip surfaces 29 and 30 upwardly ordownwardly, the spray will be directed slightly upwardly when the inletopening 36 is on the same side of the device as the outlet opening 27,and the spray will be directed slightly downwardly when the inletopening is at the opposite side of the device. In

either case of upward or downward biasing of the spray,

the spray is horizontal when the center of the inlet opening is in thesame axial plane through the chamber as the center of the outletopening.

Several embodiments having concave inside surfaces 22 and 23 were testedbut such constructions had no apparent effect on the characteristics ofthe spray. So long as the chamber 25 extends appreciably above and belowthe outlet opening 27, the characteristic flutter of the spray will beproduced. Practical limits for substantial flutter are that the insidesurfaces 22 and 23 of end walls be spaced from the outlet opening by atleast one-half the radius of the chamber 25.

Devices of this invention may be employed as nozzles with thelongitudinal axis of the chamber 25 extending horizontally, for example,rather than vertically as in the illustrated installation.

While the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived tobe a preferred embodiment for its particular use as for quick flushingpurposes with a large rate of liquid discharge, it is recognized thatdepartures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention,which is not to be limited to the details of the illustrated embodiment,but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims. a

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new in support ofLetters Patent is:

1. A liquid discharging device comprising a hollow body having an insidechamber and two ends, the body being adapted for connection to a liquidsupply pipe adjacent one end, said one end having an inlet opening 2. Aliquid discharging device according to claim 1 in which the mid-point ofsaid outlet opening and the center of said inlet opening are in a commonaxial plane of said chamber.

3. A liquid discharging device according to claim 1 in which thecircumferential extent of the outlet opening is greater than that of theinlet opening.

4. A liquid discharging device comprising a hollow body having a tubularside wall and two end walls defining an elongate chamber, one end wallhaving an inlet opening to said chamber eccentric of the longitudinalaxis of the chamber with the center of the inlet opening being spacedinwardly from the inside of said side wall, a liquid supply pipeconnected to the body for flow of liquid under pressure through saidinlet opening into the chamber, the other end wall having an insidesurface for reflecting liquid in said chamber in a direction generallyopposite to that of the flow of liquid through the inlet opening, saidside wall having an outlet opening spaced from the inside surfaces ofsaid end walls by at least one-fourth of the largest transverse diameterof the chamber, and the transverse dimension of the outlet opening beinggreater than that taken in the direction of said longitudinal axis.

5. A liquid discharging device comprising a hollow body having a sidewall and two end walls defining a cylindrical chamber of circularcross-section, means for connecting a liquid supply pipe to the bodyadjacent one end wall, said one end wall having an inlet opening to saidchamber eccentric of the longitudinal axis of the chamber and within thecircumference of the chamber, said sidewall having an outlet openingfrom said chamber spaced from and between the inside surfaces of saidend Walls, the circumferential extent of the outlet opening beinggreater than its dimension taken in the direction of the longitudinalaxis of the chamber, the inside surfaces of said end walls being spacedfrom the outlet opening by at least one-half the radius of the chamber,and the centers of the outlet and inlet openings being in the same axialplane through the chamber.

6. A liquid discharging device according to claim 5 in which said inletopening extends to the inside surface of said side wall.

7. A liquid discharging device according to claim 5 in which the inletopening is aligned longitudinally of the chamber with the outletopening.

8. A liquid discharging device according to claim 5 in which thegreatest dimension of the outlet opening taken in a direction axially ofthe chamber is at least as great as the thickness of said side wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A LIQUID DISCHARGING DEVICE COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY HAVING AN INSIDECHAMBER AND TWO ENDS, THE BODY BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO A LIQUIDSUPPLY PIPE ADJACENT ONE END, SAID ONE END HAVING AN INLET OPENING TOSAID CHAMBER WITHIN THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CHAMBER AND ECCENTRIC OFTHE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CHAMBER, THE BODY HAVING AN OUTLET OPENINGFROM SAID CHAMBER LARGER IN SIZE THAN SAID INLET OPENING AND SPACEDBETWEEN THE SAID ENDS, THE EXTENT OF THE OUTLET OPENING TAKENTRANSVERSELY OF THE CHAMBER BEING GREATER THAN ITS EXTENT TAKEN IN THEDIRECTION OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, AND THE INSIDE SURFACES OF SAIDENDS BEING SPACED FROM THE OUTLET OPENING BY AT LEAST ONE-FOURTH OF THELARGEST TRANSVERSE DIAMETER OF THE CHAMBER.